WESTERN AUSTRALIA: AIRMAIL 1911-1939 · 2020. 5. 26. · WESTERN AUSTRALIA: AIRMAIL 1911-1939 One of the earliest multi-stage long haul scheduled airmail routes in the world commenced

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: AIRMAIL 1911-1939

One of the earliest multi-stage long haul scheduled airmail routes in the world commenced in 1921as an intrastate route from Geraldton to Derby. Some interstate and international airmail, including

transit airmail, became available to Western Australians in 1929 when the Perth to Adelaide and

London to Karachi routes were opened. Extensions of the routes beyond Derby, Adelaide and

Karachi in the 1930s made airmail more readily available but the new route from Perth to Wiluna

had little use as most destinations had adequate rail service.Airmail is defined as mail that is carried by air for part of the route.Crash or interrupted mail is identified where carriage of the mail has been delayed.PLANEarly international airmail to WANorth/South route: Perth to GeraldtonGeraldton to Port HedlandGeraldton to DerbyPerth to DerbyPerth to WyndhamPerth to Daly WatersEast/West route: Perth to AdelaideTransit airmail

Wyndham reopenedGoldfields route: Perth to WilunaInternational airmail: London to KarachiLondon to SydneyRoute extensionsKLMAirmail ratesAdventurers and crashesSurvey flights

EARLY INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL TO WAThe second airmail route in the world was from London to Windsor in 1911. This card is from the

world s first crash mail. On 11 September 1911 Charles Hubert crashed his Farnam biplane on

takeoff at London and broke his legs. The mail was carried to Windsor by another plane.Three London/Windsor items have been identified as addressed to Western Australia and carried

from England to Fremantle on RMS Marmora. This card was missent to Adelaide (Denmarkmistaken for Renmark?) before being sent back for delivery.

First United Kingdom Aerial Mail London 11 September 1911, Adelaide 14 October

References:Eustis, N. (1990). The Australian Air Mail Catalogue, (5th Edition). Adelaide, Hobby InvestmentsParnell, N. and Boughton, T. (1988). Flypast: A record of aviation in Australia, Canberra, AGPS

Early international airmailLONDON TO MELBOURNE 1920

Prime Minister Hughes offered a 10,000 pound prize for the first aircraft to fly from England toAustralia in under 30 days. Ross and Keith Smith landed at Darwin in a Vickers Vimy on 12December 1919 and proceeded to Melbourne, arriving 25 February 1920. Several othercontestants crashed and some were killed.Mail was carried from London and some intermediates. 364 envelopes had a vignette produced bythe Prime Minister s Department affixed and forwarded. Some mail was struck with a 3 line cachetin violet Per/Vickers Vimy Aeroplane/to Australia.

Galle Face Hotel, Colombo envelope, vignette cancelled First Aerial Mail Great Britain to Australia received26 February 1920, forwarded by Prime Minister s Department under cover.

Early international airmailLONDON TO MARSEILLES 1923

From 1920 it was possible to post late letters in London and some provincial cities to catch the mailsteamer at Marseilles. Initially only available for official mail in summer (the route was closed inwinter), by 1923 the route was open to the public. The GPO notice issued October 1929 statedCorrespondence prepaid for this route is sent by the direct Air Mail to Marseilles, closing in

London at 7 a.m. every Friday, to overtake the mails despatched by ordinary route the previousevening. Few examples to Western Australia have been recorded.

On His Majesty's Service. i

London ECOfficial Paid28 May 1923

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GRAF ZEPPELIN 1928This cover was carried on the first intercontinental airship passenger flight.

Friedrichshafen10 October 1928

New York16 October

airship cachet

North/South routePRE-AIRMAIL 1919

This cover illustrates the benefit intended by airmail on the North/South route. Instead of about one

month, the Geraldton-Derby airmail was intended to cut delivery time to 3 days.

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Port Hedland29 March 1919

East Cannington23 April

PERTH TO GERALDTON (UNOFFICIAL) 1921Major Norman Brearley established West Australian Airways in 1921 and hired Abbott, Blake,Fawcett, Kingsford-Smith and Taplin as pilots. Kingsford-Smith left in 1924 to establish the

Gascoyne Transport Company and drove the mail truck on the Carnarvon-Meekatharra route.WAA was awarded a contract to fly mails from Geraldton to Derby, mails to and from Perth were to

travel by train to Walkaway and truck to Geraldton. However the first mail was flown unofficially

from Perth to Geraldton.

Subiaco? December 1921Perth Derby Aerial Mail4 December cachetGeraldton4 December

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/ Perth -GeraldtonGENUINE

The PMG declined to provide a distinctive postmark for the first flight on the Geraldton-Derby routebut allowed WAA to apply their own commemorative cachet. 2288 letters and newspapers wereflown from Perth to Geraldton.

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nobackstamp MESSRS. DALGETY & COMPANY LIMITEDLX 'Geraldton. ,

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FORGERYThe WAA cachet was not authorised to cancel stamps. The difference between the genuine andforged cachet is illustrated below. The 4 Vfed rate is incorrect. The Geraldton backstamp is alsoforged.

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Geraldton-DerbyFIRST NORTHBOUND FLIGHT CRASH 1921

On 5 December about 600 letters from Perth plus some posted at Geraldton (none have beenrecorded) were carried on the first official northbound flight. 3 aircraft headed for Carnarvon.Taplin s aircraft was forced down north of Geraldton but Fawcett and his mechanic were killedwhen they dived to investigate. The flight was cancelled and mails were returned to Perth. Mailwas carried north on SS Bambra on 10 December and arrived at Derby on 20 December.

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/4i iQshjPerth 3 December 1921, Perth Derby Aerial Mail 4 December cachet, Derby 20 December (e)

INTERMEDIATE

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Nungarin 28 November 1921, Perth Derby Aerial Mail 4 December cachet

/ Geraldton-DerbyFIRST SOUTHBOUND FLIGHT CRASH 1921

The first southbound flight departed Derby on 19 December and Broome on the 20th. The aircraft

was forced down on the beach 70 miles south of Broome. SS Bambra retained the mails it carried

for the southbound flight, collected the mail, crew (Brearley, Kingsford-Smith, Hansen) and the

aircraft for the southbound voyage.

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Broome 14 December 1921

SS Bambra also collected mail from intermediate ports intended for the southbound flight and

arrived at Fremantle on 30 December.

Aerial Hail

20/12/21 I& y a

I.S.Abraham Esq

Palace look ShopWilliam Street

Perth

Roebourne 20 December 1921

Geraldton-DerbyFORGERY

The broad second A of aerial and the use of the cachet to cancel a stamp are indicators of a

forgery. Both the Fremantle postmark 3 December 1921 and the Derby backstamp 22 December

are forged. The address of a prominent Sydney stamp dealer and no indication of redirection gives

some clues as to the source of the forgery.

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PUZZLEThe WAA cachet was only to be applied to the first flight on 4 December 1921. Whether this

application of a modified cachet was intended to mark the resumption of contract flights is not

known. The dateline of the cachet has been removed and the WA centred.

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Subiaco13 April 1922modifiedPerth Derby Aerial Mailcachet

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Geraldton-Port HedlandFIRST? SOUTHBOUND FLIGHT 1922

This cover was intended to be carried on a southbound flight from Port Hedland to Geraldton, bytruck to Walkaway, train to Perth and train to Narrogin. Flights were suspended following the crashof the first southbound flight. In the 1930s the PMG advised that articles inscribed Air Mail thatmissed the intended flight would be sent by the next surface mail if that would expedite delivery.Mail inscribed By Air Mail Only would be held until the next flight. Given the lack of experience ofpostal authorities anywhere, and Port Hedland in particular, it is not known whether they held thiscover until the next flight in February 1922 or sent it by the next ship south. With no transit orreceival backstamps it is not possible to identify whether this did fly in the first southbound airmailor who subsequently inserted 1st in Per Aerial Mail.

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Marble Bar 29 December 1921

Geraldton-Port HedlandNON-CONTRACT FLIGHTS 1922

Weekly (non-contract) services resumed on 22 February 1922 from Geraldton to Carnarvon,Onslow, Roebourne and Port Hedland until 28 March.This cover missed the second southbound flight and was carried on the third southbound flight to

Geraldton and truck to Walkaway. Inscribed on back Carried in 2 hours and 50 minutes .

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Carnarvon 10 March 1922, Geraldton 17 March

This cover was carried by the fifth southbound flight to Geraldton and by rail to Perth.

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Carnarvon29 March 1922, Applecross indistinct date.

North/South RouteCONTRACT MAILS

Contract flights resumed on 5 April between Geraldton and Derby.De Mouncey (28 April 1922) wrote The first aerial malls boro tho postmarks, Perth-Derby Aerial Mail,4th December 1921", used to commemorate the occasion. Since that date the special air mail postmarkshave been discontinued... Black Swan, 8 (1) 7.Two examples of the undated cachet have been recorded, both on 20 April 1922.5d per half ounce » 2/1 for 2 Vi ounces. Franked 1/1. Taxed 2/- Inscribed Surcharge.Perth 20 April 1922, Port Hedland ?, postage due collected Port Hedland 6 May

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Geraldton-DerbyINTERMEDIATE PORTS

Contract flights resumed in April 1922 between Geraldton and Derby.

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Carnarvon 31 July 1922

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Port Hedland 14 August 1922

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Geraldton-Derby

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Broome 16 September 1923

UNIDENTIFIEDMail handed to the pilot at a north-west airport does not seem to have been charged a late fee nor

taxed on arrival where the stamps were cancelled in Perth.

*BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION KlRRitMaMMltRiKLONDON APRIL .1924! JLCNflHBHigz

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No name or address of sender, Perth 18 May 1923

Pefth-DerbyFIRST SOUTHBOUND FLIGHT 1924

On 5 December 1923 the contract with WAA was extended for another 3 years and thePerth-Geraldton leg was included. The route, of about 2.300 kilometres, was the longest airmailroute in the world at that time. Maylands airport was also opened at that time.WAA official envelope.

ON AIRWAYS SERVICE • Vmm &• o

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Per Aerial Mail,

Messrs. Western Australian Airways Ltd.,P.0. Box H 575,

P E R T H.

Broome 14 January 1924, Perth 7pm 15 January

Mail carried1922 49,7611923 127,7151924 190,5111925 233,9021926 255,6241927 256,741

Reference: Tobin, B. (1992). Australia s first airmail contract, The Date Stamp, Postal History Society, 44, 4

Perth-Derby

1924 the airmail route was extended to Perth.

CARNARVON

IF NOT CLAIMED WITHIN 14 DAYS

RETURN TO

DALGETY A COMPANY LTD., CARNARVON

PER AERIAL MAIL ROUTE,

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Messrs W. D.& H.C. ills limited,

Hay Street,

P B R IH.

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. 1925IJECEIVED

Carnarvon 9 March 1925, private Aerial Mail cachet, received 11 March

ROEBOURNE

Aerial Mail 11 W .V-

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Mr Abraham

Pale?9 Book Shop

Murray St

Perth

Roebourne 15 June 1924